


My True Love Gave To Me. . .

by Sandyclaws68



Category: Naruto
Genre: Christmas fic, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Iruka gets a few headaches, Iruka loves him anyway, Kakashi makes Iruka crazy, Presents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-09 00:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5518952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandyclaws68/pseuds/Sandyclaws68
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kakashi celebrates <i>The Twelve Days of Christmas</i>.  Iruka is not impressed.</p><p>Well, maybe he is.  A little.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My True Love Gave To Me. . .

“Um, Kakashi?”

Kakashi popped his head out of the kitchen and looked around the corner to where Iruka stood in the archway leading to the living room. “Yes, Iruka?” he asked.

Iruka turned his head slowly to meet his husband's gaze. “What,” he began, pointing into the room behind him, “is that?”

Kakashi walked the few steps down the hall and peered into the large room. “It's a partridge in a pear tree.”

Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose. He should have known that his question would be answered as literally, and succinctly, as possible. That didn't mean he had to like it.

“I can see what it is,” he said, keeping his voice as calm as he could. “But why is it in our living room?”

“Because it's Christmas,” Kakashi replied, as if that answered every question Iruka hadn't asked.

Iruka sucked in a deep breath and sighed out a silent prayer for patience. “I know it's Christmas,” he commented. “I've been doing all of the shopping, the present wrapping, and the decorating for the past two weeks. But that still doesn't adequately explain why a live bird and a potted tree are in our living room!” Almost against his will his voice had risen in his agitation.

“Ahhhh!” Kakashi's face brightened as if he finally understood what the problem was and had figured out the best way to fix it. “Well, on a recent diplomatic trip with the Kazekage I learned about a charming tradition with regard to twelve days of Christmas presents from one's 'true love' and thought I'd surprise you.”

Iruka was still somewhat angry about the entire situation (And there was no way he was going to be solely responsible for clean up!) but the part of him that appreciated Kakashi's every attempt at loving, romantic gestures – no matter how awkward or ill-advised – melted with a smile. He stepped closer to his husband and pulled down the mask. “Your 'true love', huh?” he murmured against the other man's lips.

“Always.”

****~**~**~**~**~****

The next day was Saturday, and with no classes to teach and no Mission Room to staff Iruka had every intention of lounging in bed until noon. At least.

He hadn't intended to be awakened at barely half-past seven by a strange cooing noise. He rolled over, not at all surprised to find Kakashi's half of the bed empty, and sat up, blinking rapidly and pushing the hair out of his face. When he was finally able to focus he was met with the unblinking stare of a small, round, black eye.

He yelped and ducked away, almost falling out of bed. He flailed against the blankets covering him until he finally came to a stop, fetched up against the headboard. And more or less face-to-face with two birds that were perched on the bedside table. One of them made that odd cooing sound again, and Iruka all but flinched before throwing back the covers and rising to his feet.

Just over half an hour later he was striding down the main corridor toward the Hokage's office. People that encountered him gave him a wide berth, many with concerned looks or wide-eyed stares. Most of that was no doubt due to the sight of the bird perched on his shoulder, but some of it could be attributed to the anger radiating off of him in waves.

That anger had clearly spread throughout the tower like some sort of malevolent fog, because when he arrived at the office door a pair of ANBU guards were waiting for him, clearly unnerved. He simply rolled his eyes at them and pushed the door open. Two steps inside he lifted the bird from his shoulder and launched it, unsurprised when it fluttered to a stop on the desk, glancing at Kakashi with an almost quizzical look.

“Do you want to explain that?” Iruka asked with a nod in the animal's direction. “Or should I just go ahead and take my best guess?”

Kakashi stroked the bird's smooth head. “It's a turtledove,” he replied. “One of a pair.”

“Uh huh. A pair that just happened to be staring at me when I woke up.” He sighed so hard it made a few strands of hair flutter. “And that wasn't creepy. Not at all.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Two turtledoves. Is this more of that 'true love gave to me' thing you mentioned yesterday?”

“It is.”

“Then I suppose I shouldn't get too mad.”

“Probably not.”

****~**~**~**~**~****

“KAKASHI!!!!”

The peace of Sunday morning was shattered rather abruptly by that shout, and in the seconds immediately following Kakashi nearly forgot himself. He almost leaped from the bed and ran to discover what had Iruka so upset.

“KA-KA-SHI!!!!!”

Okay, so maybe upset wasn't the best word. Irritated, angry, even downright pissed off probably fit better.

The door to their bedroom flew open with a resounding crash. Yup, pissed off was definitely the best term to use for an Iruka who was flushed with anger, eyes glaring daggers and one fist clenched at his side. In contrast to all of that tension the large chicken he held in his other arm was cradled almost lovingly.

At least it appeared loving until he tossed the fowl towards his husband. It flapped its wings frantically for a moment, scattering white feathers, until it came to rest on the foot of the bed. The glare it threw Kakashi was nearly a match for Iruka's.

“I know I'm going to regret asking,” Iruka began, one hand covering his eyes, “but do you think you could explain this?”

“It's a chicken,” Kakashi said, in that bland tone that Iruka tended to find ridiculously annoying. “If I'm not mistaken it's a breed commonly referred to as Faverolles. From France.”

Iruka sighed. “So it's a French hen.” Kakashi nodded. “And can I assume that there are two more of them somewhere on the property?” Another nod. “Right, well, at least this gift is good for something,” he muttered as he stepped forward and lifted the bird off of the bed.

“I hope you're prepared to eat omelettes. Lots and lots of omelettes.”

****~**~**~**~**~****

“Does every gift in this tradition you're experimenting on me with involve birds?” Iruka shouted loud enough to be heard above the racket of four blackbirds, all sounding calls at an astonishing volume for such small creatures.

“A few,” Kakashi replied, just as loudly. “But not all.”

****~**~**~**~**~****

“What's the matter? Don't you like them?”

Iruka gave his head an irritated shake, hoping against hope that he would wake up from what he kept trying to convince himself was a bad dream. That wasn't to say he didn't appreciate everything that Kakashi was doing for his “true love”, but the ten birds wandering about their house and garden were surreal enough. This was. . .

“It's donuts, Kakashi.” He glanced down at the box that contained five perfectly golden brown and gleaming with glaze confections. “Five donuts.”

Kakashi smiled. “No, it's five golden rings. Get it?” His smile broadened as he tapped Iruka's silver wedding band. “I know you don't like gold, but you do like donuts, so. . .”

Iruka fought against a smile of his own but couldn't prevent a tiny lip twitch. “Yes, yes, I get it,” he said. He picked up one of the donuts and took a bite, savoring the sweetness of the glaze and the almost airy texture of the pastry. Then he quickly leaned forward and kissed Kakashi, who chased the sugary mess of Iruka's lips with his tongue before pulling away.

“Now that's a sweet I could get used to,” he whispered.

****~**~**~**~**~****

Iruka had been sitting at the kotatsu with his much loved and very battered copy of _Tales of a Gutsy Ninja_ and a cup of tea for approximately ten minutes when he heard an uproar in the garden. It was comprised of voices shouting, an occasional bark, and an odd squawking noise that was familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on what was causing it. He had a sinking feeling about it though, so he reluctantly rose to his feet and passed through the kitchen on his way outside.

The barking and the squawking increased in volume as he approached, but when he lay a hand on Akamaru's shoulder the ninken quieted down and pushed his head against Iruka's hand, looking for an ear ruffle. Iruka laughed and obliged his canine friend, then looked around at who else was gathered there.

Kiba, Shino, Lee, Tenten, Konohamaru and Ino were all there, and each was standing beside a wicker basket, and each basket was the source of some of the squawking. And now that he was close enough Iruka identified the noise as coming from geese. Six geese, to be exact. He rolled his eyes before clearing his throat to gain the attention of the kids.

They all started guiltily, but Ino was the only one who turned around to face him. She smiled at him, then blushed as he raised an eyebrow in a question. “Ummm,” she began, stopping when her former teacher lifted a hand.

“Don't tell me, let me guess,” Iruka said, fighting the urge to smile. “Six geese, delivered at the request of the Rokudaime.”

By this time Kiba had wandered over, grinning. “He made it a B rank mission,” the Inuzuka said. “Mainly because geese are kind of hard to catch.”

“And they bite,” Konohamaru shouted from his position a couple of yards away.

“We wanted to just have Sai draw all six and use Choujuu Giga,” Ino put in. “But Kakashi-sensei insisted they had to be real.” She shrugged. “Something about having them lay eggs.”

Iruka sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, regretting that he had ever gotten up from the kotatsu.

****~**~**~**~**~****

“Iruka. Iruka!”

A hand emerged from the blankets and shoved at the one shaking its owner's shoulder. A mumbled sound, reminiscent of _Go away!_ was heard. Kakashi simply grinned and resumed shaking his husband.

“If you don't wake up you're going to miss it.”

The hand re-emerged and pushed the blankets down, revealing a grumpy, scarred face with sleep-bleary brown eyes. “The only thing I'm missing is more sleep, 'kashi,” Iruka growled before pulling the covers back up and disappearing under them.

Kakashi laughed softly before sliding his arms across the bed, catching the comforter, the sheet, and Iruka all in his grip. There was a surprised gasp of “Kakashi!” as he lifted everything and made his way to the bedroom door.

Iruka was wise enough to not struggle, which might have upset his husband's balance and sent the both of them crashing to the floor. Besides, he rather liked being held this way and carried, so with an almost inaudible sigh he relaxed into the strong arms that held him close, feeling the heat of Kakashi's chest even through layers of bedclothes. A part of his brain was busy wondering just what, exactly, he wasn't supposed to miss, but all things considered he was able to ignore that.

At least he was until Kakashi set him on his feet on the covered walkway that surrounded the central courtyard of the house. “What the hell did you do?!” The words burst out of Iruka's mouth with no conscious thought, but under the circumstances his reaction should have been understandable.

The courtyard was no longer a courtyard, but a pond. Water flowed from one enclosing wall to another, broken only by the few pieces of sculpture still visible. Oh, and the seven swans swimming placidly along as if they didn't have a care in the world.

“Kakashi. . .”

The other man at least looked slightly embarrassed as he scratched his nose through the mask. “They're the last of the birds, I promise.”

****~**~**~**~**~****

The bleating of goats greeted Iruka when he arrived home from a mission, tired, dirty, and in desperate need of sleep. He almost had himself convinced it was his imagination when he heard a shout in a voice he recognized. The fact that Sakura was in the back garden of the house was enough to rouse his curiosity, so he dumped his pack in the front hall and detoured around the water and swan filled courtyard to make his way to where all the commotion was coming from.

He didn't bother wondering what was going on any more; he was, regrettably, getting used to this evidence of his husband's insanity. “Why goats?” he asked Sakura when she came to stand at his side and survey the scene. The other seven girls hung back.

Sakura shrugged. “He just said something about milking,” she explained. “But since he didn't specify we went with what was easier.”

****~**~**~**~**~****

“How did you convince Tsunade-sama to go along with this?” Iruka asked, raising his voice to be heard above the music playing in the now thankfully swan-free courtyard (the birds had taken up permanent residence in the river that flowed through the village).

Kakashi smiled as he watched the nine women weaving past each other, clasping and releasing hands in a simple, yet beautiful, dance. “She was drunk at the time,” he said.

Iruka grinned; no other explanation was needed, really. But he couldn't resist needling his husband a little. “This would be more impressive if it was truly nine _ladies_ ,” he said, with a nod toward where Naruto, in his Oiroke no Jutsu guise (but blessedly clothed), was happily trotting through the steps of the dance.

****~**~**~**~**~****

When the shaking jolted Iruka out of a nap his first thought was of an earthquake, so he quickly rolled out of the bed and started to crawl toward the doorway. He was halfway there when the shaking abruptly stopped. Breathing a sigh of relief he got his feet, glancing around the room for any signs of damage and surprised to find none.

But then there was a loud bang that reverberated throughout the house and the shaking started again, only to stop after a few seconds. Of course aftershocks were not uncommon, so it didn't really phase him.

After the third time it happened, though, he started to wonder. By the fifth time he knew.

He made his way through the house, stopping every now and again when another incident of shaking occurred. On those occasions he would give some thought to how best to punish his husband, who had been consistently driving him insane for the last nine days. Castration rated fairly high on the list, despite the potential damage such a procedure could do to his own sex life. But with a rueful smile he admitted to himself that Kakashi wasn't really in any danger; he'd just chalk it up to the “worse” part of “for better or for worse”.

Sai, on the other hand, had no such escape clause. And he was there, readily available, while Kakashi was out of the village for the day, meeting with a merchant's consortium that was looking for favorable trade with Konoha.

“But he said ten 'lords',” Sai explained, standing in front of five pairs of his Benevolent Kings, thankfully no longer leaping about the garden.

Iruka blew his hair out of his face and massaged his temples, hoping to stave off the inevitable headache. “There are other definitions of 'lord', Sai,” he said, hoping that his smile was more encouraging than sickly. “He meant lord as in Daimyo, not lord as in deity.”

Sai looked thoughtful for a moment, then his face brightened. “But I already have the Chousin Giga jutsu,” he replied. “It was easier this way.”

With a sigh Iruka gave in, knowing when to pick his battles. “Okay, fine. Just. . .” He gestured to where the ten “lords” towered over the younger man. “Could you shrink them a little? To normal human size?”

****~**~**~**~**~****

“Where did you find them?” Iruka asked, sounding slightly awed.

Kakashi shrugged. “A relative of the Earth Country's Daimyo has some interesting contacts on other continents,” he replied, smiling at the pleased expression on his husband's face. “He helped me arrange all of this.” He glanced at Iruka out of the corner of his eye. “Do you like it?”

Iruka looked down from the terrace outside the Hokage's office to the courtyard of the Tower, where eleven men in unusual, foreign dress were gathered. The music was strangely beautiful, but with something almost savage underlying it. And even a little terrifying. “What do they call them again?” he asked, nodding at the courtyard. “Those instruments.”

“Bagpipes,” Kakashi answered. Then he grinned. “The sound is kind of scary, isn't it?”

Iruka laughed. “A little,” he replied, taking the other man's hand. “But I like it anyway.”

****~**~**~**~**~****

The knock on the front door completely surprised Iruka. So rarely was that entrance to the house used that it was almost possible to forget it was there. And because in his experience nothing good ever came of front door formality he was reluctant to answer it. “Kakashi?” he called out, knowing his husband was in the living room adjacent to his office. “Could you get that, please?”

When he didn't hear any kind of acknowledgment he started to wonder. Then the doorbell rang, which in Iruka's mind was one step up on the worry scale from a knock. He got to his feet and moved around the desk, peering out the door of the office at an empty corridor. He couldn't even hear Kakashi anymore. Resigning himself to having to deal with whatever awaited he made his way down the hall and pulled open the front door just as that knock sounded again.

And his eyes widened when he saw their neighbor. “Kyoya-san,” he greeted the older man with a respectful bow. “What can I do for you?”

Kyoya Shirou looked as angry as Iruka had ever seen him. “I don't know what that husband of your is playing at,” he all but spat out. “But Hokage or not if this noise keeps up I will sue him for anything I can possibly think of!” And then he stormed away, down the gravel walk to the front gate, glaring one last time before disappearing towards his own home.

And leaving Iruka confused and wondering just what in the world was going on. What noise? The entire neighborhood was as silent as a tomb, as far as. . .

Oh no. No, no, no.

It was too silent; not even the normal evening sounds of birds were audible. Which meant there was some sort of silencing jutsu on their house. Something to prevent Iruka from hearing whatever it was that was going on. And he knew from long, somewhat painful experience, that the combination of Kakashi and silencing jutsus was rarely a good thing. He made it through the house so quickly that he may as well have used a transporter jutsu, bursting through the double doors from the kitchen to the garden.

Where he stopped short, jaw dropping open in shock.

The garden was decorated with traditional lanterns, casting warm pools of light. It was also full of people – what looked like half the village – all their closest friends and the people that both he and Kakashi thought of as family. Konohamaru was chasing after his cousin Mirai, and her giggles of delight would no doubt have been charming if he could have heard them.

Then, suddenly, sound returned and he felt almost overwhelmed. He reached out to catch Mirai as she darted past him, hoisting her up to rest on his hip. “Ir'ka-jiji!” she exclaimed happily as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Konohamaru looked at the pair of them with a grin, then clapped his hands twice. Conversations slowly faded away, and Iruka felt like fidgeting as he became the center of attention.

Then warm hands came to rest on his hips and warm breath stirred the end of his ponytail. “I hope you don't mind,” Kakashi spoke quietly. “I invited our entire family to join us for this one.”

Iruka laughed and took a step back, moving close enough to lean his head on his husband's shoulder. “This is the twelfth day, right? And the last one?” When Kakashi nodded he craned his neck so he could kiss the other man on the cheek. “Then it's appropriate that everyone be here.” He looked around, not seeing any sign of birds, donuts, goats, or anything else that might give him a headache.

And then the drumming started, and he caught his breath. Dynamic, powerful, and spellbinding, the twelve traditional drummers put their whole hearts into the performance. Iruka was so caught up in it all, heart throbbing in time with the beat, that he almost missed the salute their neighbor gave him before turning back to the spectacle.

“Kyoya-san!?” he exclaimed, turning his head to meet Kakashi's eyes.

“Yeah, I owe him one for that brilliant performance,” Kakashi replied, rubbing his nose. “It was the best way to ensure you came to the garden once we were completely ready for you.”

Iruka laughed. “You've been hellbent on raising my blood pressure these last few days, you know that?” He turned in the circle of his husband's arms and caught the other man's chin, bringing their lips close together. “I hope you have a brilliant idea for making it up to me,” he whispered.

Kakashi rubbed their noses together. “I'm sure I can think of something.”


End file.
